Strasburg's Swan Song?

Updated Aug. 28, 2010 12:01 a.m. ET

The announcement Friday that Washington's phenom pitcher, Stephen Strasburg, is likely headed for Tommy John surgery—a procedure to replace a ligament in a pitcher's throwing elbow—reminded baseball fans of stars like Kerry Wood who never fully recovered from the same operation.

They should relax.

ENLARGE

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Six of the pitchers who played in this year's All-Star Game previously had the surgery, including top Cy Young Award candidate Josh Johnson and last year's American League Rookie of the Year, Andrew Bailey. And it's not just the young guys—famed Yankees closer Mariano Rivera had similar elbow surgery three years before his major-league debut and Kenny Rogers, who pitched until he was 43, also had it.

Scott Boras, Mr. Strasburg's agent, says his client and the team will decide on a doctor to perform the surgery in the next couple of days. He says the injury isn't related to Mr. Strasburg's pitching mechanics, which he says are fine. "It's something that most MLB pitchers overcome and come back to being as good as, if not better than, before," he says.

James Andrews, who has performed the surgery more than 2,000 times, including on scores of major leaguers, says most athletes today recover 100%. "Teams have full confidence in it," he says.

If Mr. Strasburg has the surgery, he could be out for at least one year. After being drafted No. 1 in 2009, he signed a $15.1 million guaranteed rookie contract, the highest in baseball history.

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